--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a newspaper needs in its news, in…" description: "\"What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good liter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg" --- # What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and… ![“What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!” quote by Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg) > “What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!” [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective news demands brevity, humor, vividness, satire, originality, style, condensation, and relentless accuracy. **In simple terms:** Good journalism blends many qualities. Key Takeaway Prioritize accuracy above all. Themes journalism style brevity accuracy creativity Mood critical inspirational Type professional literary When to use this quote - newsrooms - editorial meetings - content creation Key Concepts media ethics writing craft Questions to Reflect On - How to balance style with truth? - What makes a headline memorable? A Different Perspective Accuracy alone may not engage readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accuracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Condensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condensation/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Literary style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-style/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Originality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Satire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satire/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) ## Related quotes > [If information is true, if it can be verified, and if it's really important, the newspaper needs to be willing to take the risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/if-information-is-true-if-it-can-be-verified-and-if-it-s-really/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [I'm at a stage in my career where I don't expect or get too much editorial input into what I'm doing. I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/i-m-at-a-stage-in-my-career-where-i-don-t-expect-or-get-too-much/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [It's important to understand it's OK to control the subject. If most editorial stories were photographed just as they are, editors would end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-eisenstaedt/it-s-important-to-understand-it-s-ok-to-control-the-subject-if-most/) [Alfred Eisenstaedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-eisenstaedt/) > [I believe the publisher is a member of the editorial board, and I think his vote would matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-believe-the-publisher-is-a-member-of-the-editorial-board-and-i/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [All I can do is advocate changes at the BBC while respecting editorial independence upon which the success of the BBC rests. I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hunt/all-i-can-do-is-advocate-changes-at-the-bbc-while-respecting/) [Jeremy Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hunt/) > [You take a poll of any people. What is it they want? The right to write an editorial as you like? They want homes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-take-a-poll-of-any-people-what-is-it-they-want-the-right-to-write/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [ Much of the big media outlets in North America are owned by arms manufacturers, like Westinghouse, or G.E. \[General Electric\]. That's unacceptable. So we're… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-halliday/much-of-the-big-media-outlets-in-north-america-are-owned-by-arms/) Denis Halliday > [Curators are great, but they're inherently biased. Curators are always making an editorial decision. Those biases have really big implications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-zuckerman/curators-are-great-but-they-re-inherently-biased-curators-are-always/) [Ethan Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-zuckerman/) > [And if you are somebody who needs to get a pat on the back for everything that you do, editorial is not for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryann-brandon/and-if-you-are-somebody-who-needs-to-get-a-pat-on-the-back-for/) [Maryann Brandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryann-brandon/) > [There were always plenty of newspapers in the house. 'The Times', 'Guardian', 'Daily Telegraph' and 'Daily Mail' were all regular fixtures on the coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-barber/there-were-always-plenty-of-newspapers-in-the-house-the-times/) [Lionel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-barber/) > [The most important rule: Do not, I repeat, do not censor yourself in any way. Leave your editorial mind out of the loop. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-bell/the-most-important-rule-do-not-i-repeat-do-not-censor-yourself-in-any/) [James Scott Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-bell/) > [An illustration is a visual editorial - it's just as nuanced. Everything that goes into it is a call you make: every color, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/an-illustration-is-a-visual-editorial-it-s-just-as-nuanced-everything/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [I think we need editorial oversight now more than ever. Anything we can do to help newspapers find new ways of expression that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-we-need-editorial-oversight-now-more-than-ever-anything-we/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Vanity Fair has but two major articles in its editorial creed: first, to believe in the progress and promise of American life, and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/vanity-fair-has-but-two-major-articles-in-its-editorial-creed-first/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) ## More by Joseph Pulitzer > [An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/an-able-disinterested-public-spirited-press-with-trained-intelligence/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-will-always-fight-for-progress-and-reform-never-tolerate-injustice/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/a-cynical-mercenary-demagogic-press-will-produce-in-time-a-people-as/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a noble profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-am-deeply-interested-in-the-progress-and-elevation-of-journalism/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [Don't be sensitive if I should, in future, seem brusque, harsh, or even unjust in my criticism. I sincerely hope I never shall be;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/don-t-be-sensitive-if-i-should-in-future-seem-brusque-harsh-or-even/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I breakfast when I get up, lunch when I get the chance. If I never get it, I forget it. Sometimes I dine at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-breakfast-when-i-get-up-lunch-when-i-get-the-chance-if-i-never-get/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [It is to such men as Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson and Jackson and Franklin, all most lowly born, that we owe most of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/it-is-to-such-men-as-abraham-lincoln-and-jefferson-and-jackson-and/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I desire to assist in attracting to this profession young men of character and ability, also to help those already engaged in the profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-desire-to-assist-in-attracting-to-this-profession-young-men-of/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [My especial object is to help the poor; the rich can help themselves. I believe in self-made men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/my-especial-object-is-to-help-the-poor-the-rich-can-help-themselves-i/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I want to talk to a nation, not to a select committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-want-to-talk-to-a-nation-not-to-a-select-committee/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I really think one of the most extraordinary things in the world is the amount of noise a child can make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-really-think-one-of-the-most-extraordinary-things-in-the-world-is/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [Our republic and its press will rise and fall together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/our-republic-and-its-press-will-rise-and-fall-together/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [Performance is better than promise. Exuberant assurances are cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/performance-is-better-than-promise-exuberant-assurances-are-cheap/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [They call me the father of illustrated journalism. What folly! I never thought any such thing. I had a small newspaper, which had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/they-call-me-the-father-of-illustrated-journalism-what-folly-i-never/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [It only serves to show what sort of person a man must be who can't even get testimonials. No, no; if a man brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/it-only-serves-to-show-what-sort-of-person-a-man-must-be-who-can-t/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) [Explore all 42 Joseph Pulitzer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) ## More Accuracy quotes > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [Tachyon OPC+ is a natural extension of our market-winning Tachyon platform, giving customers a clear path to minimizing the OPC error budget and producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/tachyon-opc-is-a-natural-extension-of-our-market-winning-tachyon/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [Scientific accuracy confirms the Bible is the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/scientific-accuracy-confirms-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [In software speed to market, speed to learning is really key. In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Lawyers tend to be bright people. They tend to be-much more than many journalists I've encountered-sticklers for detail and accuracy, and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/lawyers-tend-to-be-bright-people-they-tend-to-be-much-more-than-many/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [There's a simplicity in typography that demands absolute accuracy... the only way you can experience it is by doing it, and you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-maag/there-s-a-simplicity-in-typography-that-demands-absolute-accuracy-the/) Bruno Maag > [“The only thing that words can do with any real precision or accuracy is hang together. Accuracy of description in language is not possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/the-only-thing-that-words-can-do-with-any-real-precision-or-accuracy/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [Am I accurately reporting what I see in such a blossom? The answer is no ... and yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/am-i-accurately-reporting-what-i-see-in-such-a-blossom-the-answer-is/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [Only by being suspended aloft, by dangling my mind in the heavens and mingling my rare thought with the ethereal air, could I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/only-by-being-suspended-aloft-by-dangling-my-mind-in-the-heavens-and/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [Without much accuracy, with strangely little love at all, your family will decide for you exactly who you are, and they'll keep nudging, coaxing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/without-much-accuracy-with-strangely-little-love-at-all-your-family/) [Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/) > [The federal government is starting to plan for climate change by making extended forecasts that can help people plan for extreme weather - because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/the-federal-government-is-starting-to-plan-for-climate-change-by/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [Nobody sees reality whole; we all need others to show us the parts of it that they see better than we do. Nobody sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nobody-sees-reality-whole-we-all-need-others-to-show-us-the-parts-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The state of empathy, or being empathic, is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/the-state-of-empathy-or-being-empathic-is-to-perceive-the-internal/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [What we have learned is that Roland-Jones is a very promising prospect. Because of the way he bowls, he will not blow batsmen away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-agnew/what-we-have-learned-is-that-roland-jones-is-a-very-promising/) [Jonathan Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-agnew/) [Browse all 388 Accuracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Pulitzer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-its-headlines-and-on-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accuracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-its-headlines-and-on-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/joseph-pulitzer-15695_accuracy_what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-it_2825751.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor…” — Joseph Pulitzer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joseph Pulitzer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What a newspaper needs in its...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-its-headlines-and-on-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/what-a-newspaper-needs-in-its-news-in-its-headlines-and-on-its/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```